Cursor pointing devices, such as electronic mice, trackballs, and combinations thereof have been used with computers and work stations for a number of years. These uses have been numerous and have grown widely given the ease of use these devices provide in the utilization of various computer programs such as Windows.sup.r, and the myriad of other computer programs that require a cursor to be positioned over an icon, a point on a display screen, and the like.
The mouse and the trackball have achieved a large degree of acceptance among computer purchasers and work station users. This degree of acceptance is evidenced by the fact that many retailers now provide complete computer kits that include either mice or trackballs. Exemplary examples of these types of mice, trackballs and combinations thereof are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,917,516, 4,952,919, 5,063,289, 5,122,654, and 5,287090.
Notwithstanding the benefits to be gained by the use of these mice and trackballs, there are several problems inherent in the use of these devices as computers in the home and in the business world proliferate. The number of computers and work stations in consumers' homes that are networked on popular computer networks, e.g. the Internet, America On-Line, Prodigy, and Compuserve, is growing at an incredible rate. Projections of the presence of personal computers in homes world wide run into tens of millions of computers. The presence of this huge network of consumers and merchants brings forward the ability to market and sell goods and services "On-line." However, no convenient way of entering and safe-guarding payment information, e.g. credit card information or debit card information, for on-line consumers and merchants exists. Further, there exists a need for a cursor positioning device that allows for card information to be entered in a standardized format so use on different software payment transactions systems.
Notwithstanding that mice and trackballs are peripherals present on almost every personal computer given today's hardware and software, a major problem with mice, trackballs, and combinations thereof includes the inability to enter and safeguard card information on the devices. Exemplary types of card information include credit card, debit card, driver's license, and ID card information. With respect to the entry of card information, there is virtually no convenient way for an "on-line" consumer to enter his card information for a single unitary "on-line" purchase without entering card information onto a user's computer hard-drive where it is vulnerable to discovery by computer hackers, and the like. There exists a need for a device that allows for the entry of card information onto the computer peripheral for communication to a personal computer, computer network or combination thereof, on a transaction by transaction basis.
In relation to safeguarding card information, another major problem involves the encryption of card information to allow usage of the card information in a safe manner when the card information is introduced onto a personal computer, work station, local area network, wide area network, computer network, e.g. the Internet, America On-line, Prodigy, or combination thereof. The prior art mice, trackballs and combinations thereof do not provide for the safeguarding of card information. Further, there exists a need for a method of entering card information, safeguarding the card information, or a combination thereof through the use of a mouse, trackball, other electronic cursor positioning computer peripheral, or combination thereof for communication of the card information to a personal computer, local area network, wide area network, the Internet, VISANET, or combination thereof.
It would be highly desirable to solve the plethora of problems faced in the art, and meet the needs of this emerging market, and it is an object of the present invention to solve these problems. The present invention targets the tens of millions of computer, computer network, and work station users in the United States and Worldwide who use cursor positioning devices, and serves these markets by providing a cursor controlling device that reads card information, encrypts or codes the card information, or a combination thereof; and, communicates that card information to a personal computer, workstation, local area network, wide area network, the Internet, other computer network, or combination thereof.